The Principal’s Office | The Ohio State University

The Principal’s Office: History

From the start in 1999, the Principal’s Office website aimed at addressing the needs of building administrators as leaders of instruction. With guidance from 12 elementary, middle, and high school principals, plans evolved for an online website. They advised us to “make it practical, integrated, and easy to read.”

The Ohio State University College of Education received a 5-year grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation to fund the online initiative, along with 20 other professional development activities, most of them for grades K-5. These projects focused on literacy, math, science, parent involvement, and aspects of school culture affecting learning.

A steering committee made up of teachers and administrators from the school districts of Columbus, Mansfield, South-Western, and Springfield reviewed the monthly progress of the website and approved work plans for each year. The overall goal was to align the web page content to statewide academic standards and the professional development aims of the participating districts. A former high school principal, Carole Jarrell, served as the first editor and director, ensuring that the site spoke to the interests of principals.

In its third year, the expected outcomes for the website were the following:

Provide principals job-relevant information and resources on effective instruction, teacher evaluation, student data analysis, academic standards, licensure requirements, classroom management, and parent communication
Promote a learning collaborative within and among the four districts, with monthly content from the districts on priority issues such as literacy
Deliver monthly electronic updates to participating schools and administrators on district level literacy initiatives and exemplary implementation at the building level

In the final year of the Jennings grant, the steering committee held a retreat to plan for the future of the Principal’s Office website. The Interprofessional Commission of Ohio and the P-12 Project at Ohio State, along with principals from central Ohio school districts, recommended upgrading the website and creating a board to support the work of editor Diana Williams. In 2008, Cindy Overly, Assistant Director of the P-12 Project, became the editor.

The website continues to affirm the goal of speaking to principals as equal partners in a voice they can trust. The content for the website continued to emerge from the everyday work experiences of principals. Monthly updates include a checklist of actions that closely follow the responsibilities and assignments of school administrators. The site also focuses on the key standards that define the work and duties of the principal. A blog for discussion and other functions allow the site to be interactive and to encourage collaboration within and across districts.